The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, marking the team’s second straight loss, but there was far bigger news afoot.
The Atlanta Hawks were defeated handily by the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, but the big news out of the game came courtesy of an unfortunate injury to Trae Young.
In the second quarter, Young was scrapping for a loose ball when he collided with Heat guard Justise Winslow. Young’s knee hit Winslow’s, and then his right foot completely inverted – causing Young to collapse to the ground in pain.
Young was slow to get up, and he walked ever so gingerly to the locker room with help from the team’s trainer Chelsea Lane. Following that, the rest of the quarter was something of a blur, as all Hawks fans were completely in shock and extremely concerned about Young’s status.
Luckily, news came down very quickly that Young’s injury was as serious as originally expected, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
X-Rays were negative on Atlanta guard Trae Young’s right ankle, and there’s optimism that this isn’t a serious injury, league sources tell ESPN. Young will undergo an MRI soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 30, 2019
Of course, the team will likely be extremely cautious with Young, as he is without question the most important player (and the best) on the team’s roster as we speak.
After Young’s injury, for the Atlanta Hawks to stay in it, they needed contributions from various players. However, it was good to see John Collins, the next most notable player on the team, step up and have a big night after Young’s injury.
Collins finished with 30 points on an extremely efficient 10 of 17 shooting. JC shot 5 of 8 from downtown, which were career-highs in both makes and attempts.
Beyond Collins, the only player for the Hawks in double figures was Jabari Parker off the bench with 12 points. Despite a low-scoring night, rookie Cam Reddish did unleash this ferocious dunk on fellow rookie Tyler Herro, which was stunning:
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1189355123702669312
The Hawks get a rematch against the Miami Heat immediately with a game on Thursday night at home.
Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST.